A NEW TYPE OF INTERMITTENTLY-IRRIGATED SAND CULTURE EQUIPMENT

Abstract

A type of greenhouse, automatic sand-culture equipment is described which embodies the following features: a) a 5-gallon crock filled with sand which serves as the container for the plant or plants; b) a 5-gallon crock which functions as the main reservoir for nutrient soln.; c) a 1/2-gallon jug, connected to the main reservoir, which at the time of irrigation supplies exactly 1/2 gal. of soln. to the plants; and, d) a glass-bead check valve which prevents the return of soln. to the main reservoir during an irrigation, but which permits refilling of the jug by gravity flow from the reservoir after an irrigation. The chief advantages of this equipment are: in normal times the equipment needed is inexpensive and readily obtainable ; the culture unit and the reservoir are of sufficient size for the complete development of a fairly large plant, e.g., tomato; with this type of unit vs. large-scale beds, for example, greater replication of cultures is possible and there is, therefore, a higher degree of statistical precision.